I find the program you partook in, in the early 2000's to be an interesting attempt at bridging the aforementioned divide between the masculine and feminine energies. Where I think it fell short, was the request of self-induced celibacy being mandated for a year. While the act of restraint and chasity can be exceptional tools in the developement of discipline, as well as a methodology of building patience, the idea that a year's worth of such would breed anything but impatience was (from my perspective), short sited and naive to say the least.
I suspect the key to bridging the gap between the masculine and feminine, resides in that word 'patience'. And a short stint of self-induced chasity, may very well be one of the girders to form that bridge. However, pushing individuals too far into chasity may very well form a basis of unconscious resentment and abandonement, thereby having the opposite intended effect, and creating an overload of impatience. An alternative I would propose would be measuring these lengths of chasity in days or weeks, which might properly give the opposing forces the time needed to feel safe with one another, whilst also missing each other, to the point where the two forces begin to feign for one another.
As you said in the body of your essay, masculine and feminine are manifestations of duality, in that, one cannot exist without the other, and prosperity is impossible when there is an imbalance. Developing a variety of methodologies (because it would be naive to assume that one method can act as a "fix-all") where that aforementioned base-line of patience can be nutured between the two dichotomies should be of the utmost importance.
In Hermetecism, the masculine is often depicted as Knowledge (Logos), and the feminine is depicted as Understanding (Pathos). They are fundementally the same, and yet entirely different altogether. A good sign of the development of patience, and by extension the existential gap between them, may very likely reside in the Logos coming to respect that "knowing" does not equate to "understanding". While the Pathos coming to respect the opposite; that "understanding" does not equate to "knowing". "Respect" being the key word here for the dual aspects to live in harmony. Patience cannot be found without respect.
A deeply reflective analysis of what is taking place in my observation (and personal experience like you). The collective wounding and trauma of the shadow masculine and feminine is polarising and viscerally painful. Like violently opposed parent figures within and without. I’m hoping during Plutos path through Aquarius that renewed ways of being-in-the-world will evolve - for the sake of all sentient beings and planet Earth. So many of us are aware that “something” monumental is taking place - a transitional (liminal) time - seldom easy to be in a state of suspension, of not knowing what will unfold. I see my role as holding as much space as I am able and for as long as I’m able for the evolution to gain momentum. It feels like a privilege to be here at this time but phew it’s not the easiest. Appreciate yours and Kates contributions. Thank you.
David this is brilliant. What has been missing is the languaging to be able to gain perspective and to interface civilly and intelligently, and also gently and effectively. You have given Us the higher perspective and have equipped Us for the pivotal conversations that enlarge Our capacity as a Human family made whole. I see it. I breathe it. We're there. Many thanks to you and Kate !
With domination-minded masculine MAGA poised against the victimization-minded feminine Woke, all in a consumer-minded image-obsessed culture, no wonder our kids are acting non-binary, and spending healthcare money getting sculpted that way...
I think they're sensitive to the violence, and gender is a way to act it out.
Imagine politically non-binary too! If we enacted 70% of laws that 70% of us consider just, (wealth inequality, corrupt lobbying, military tech v social program v infrastructure spending) we'd be a reformed politic.
Thanks David for your reflections and shared experiences which are so valuable. It is really a time to be exchanging feelings, ideas, perceptions and intuitions. During the past months I have been slowly peeling back layers of traumas and through holding them close, have had dreams and insights to help them gently settle into my being. I have shared these with my wife and together we try to have a flow of personal perceptions arising within a non-critical space we are holding. (External pressures on us are enormous at the moment as we sell our house and land, our city apartment, redistribute our belongings as well as care for my debilitated mothering law; so the pressure to be real is very present.
Individually and biologically we are both sexes in one; we live constant inner contradictions or conversations (a test for the psyche and impulse to polarise). As we watch ourselves, past memories can arise of mother or father figures playing out their specific roles; roles which most often are triggered in us, and which can move us into polarisation and subsequent blindness or resistance to our complements and a middle path. Layer upon layer like an onion; generation upon generation of action and reaction (Karma) can appear which in the honest space of 'not knowing ' can relax criticism, open the heart and deepen the breath as we learn to hold them without right or wrong.
I too feel that we are being asked individually and collectively to witness, embrace and release past structures within our deep, collective past (Pluto about to leave and re-enter Capricorn, then leave and re-enter...)
Talking with others, through open mind and heart (as much as we can), seems to be the best way of inviting others to participate personally and in groups. Most times a type of feed-back loop establishes itself which can lead to shared intuition.
A group I lead some time ago, we were lying on the ground with everyone looking at the roof (or clouds) while we talked about the environment of our childhood. In this way our stories could be told and held without initial eye contact, which for some, can be threatening. We then moved to shared, simple day to day tasks which can hold space for our innate resonance to do some fine tuning of personal traumas once an empathic field is established.
Once whole, together, our creative power through intuition, feeling and action is much greater.
Thanks again for your writing David (and Kate too) Together we can.
The exercise of looking up reminds me of ora et labora - faith that being side by side in practice will allow our souls the same freedoms. You might spend half the time looking up and the other half looking down!
I find the program you partook in, in the early 2000's to be an interesting attempt at bridging the aforementioned divide between the masculine and feminine energies. Where I think it fell short, was the request of self-induced celibacy being mandated for a year. While the act of restraint and chasity can be exceptional tools in the developement of discipline, as well as a methodology of building patience, the idea that a year's worth of such would breed anything but impatience was (from my perspective), short sited and naive to say the least.
I suspect the key to bridging the gap between the masculine and feminine, resides in that word 'patience'. And a short stint of self-induced chasity, may very well be one of the girders to form that bridge. However, pushing individuals too far into chasity may very well form a basis of unconscious resentment and abandonement, thereby having the opposite intended effect, and creating an overload of impatience. An alternative I would propose would be measuring these lengths of chasity in days or weeks, which might properly give the opposing forces the time needed to feel safe with one another, whilst also missing each other, to the point where the two forces begin to feign for one another.
As you said in the body of your essay, masculine and feminine are manifestations of duality, in that, one cannot exist without the other, and prosperity is impossible when there is an imbalance. Developing a variety of methodologies (because it would be naive to assume that one method can act as a "fix-all") where that aforementioned base-line of patience can be nutured between the two dichotomies should be of the utmost importance.
In Hermetecism, the masculine is often depicted as Knowledge (Logos), and the feminine is depicted as Understanding (Pathos). They are fundementally the same, and yet entirely different altogether. A good sign of the development of patience, and by extension the existential gap between them, may very likely reside in the Logos coming to respect that "knowing" does not equate to "understanding". While the Pathos coming to respect the opposite; that "understanding" does not equate to "knowing". "Respect" being the key word here for the dual aspects to live in harmony. Patience cannot be found without respect.
Nice. Hermit carries both staff and lantern, to see what is illuminated and test the ground ahead. And a mantle, because it's cold out there.
A deeply reflective analysis of what is taking place in my observation (and personal experience like you). The collective wounding and trauma of the shadow masculine and feminine is polarising and viscerally painful. Like violently opposed parent figures within and without. I’m hoping during Plutos path through Aquarius that renewed ways of being-in-the-world will evolve - for the sake of all sentient beings and planet Earth. So many of us are aware that “something” monumental is taking place - a transitional (liminal) time - seldom easy to be in a state of suspension, of not knowing what will unfold. I see my role as holding as much space as I am able and for as long as I’m able for the evolution to gain momentum. It feels like a privilege to be here at this time but phew it’s not the easiest. Appreciate yours and Kates contributions. Thank you.
Phew, I hear you Lauren.
David this is brilliant. What has been missing is the languaging to be able to gain perspective and to interface civilly and intelligently, and also gently and effectively. You have given Us the higher perspective and have equipped Us for the pivotal conversations that enlarge Our capacity as a Human family made whole. I see it. I breathe it. We're there. Many thanks to you and Kate !
With domination-minded masculine MAGA poised against the victimization-minded feminine Woke, all in a consumer-minded image-obsessed culture, no wonder our kids are acting non-binary, and spending healthcare money getting sculpted that way...
good point! (though I'm not sure they are as politically non-binary as they are gender, what do you think?)
I think they're sensitive to the violence, and gender is a way to act it out.
Imagine politically non-binary too! If we enacted 70% of laws that 70% of us consider just, (wealth inequality, corrupt lobbying, military tech v social program v infrastructure spending) we'd be a reformed politic.
Thanks David for your reflections and shared experiences which are so valuable. It is really a time to be exchanging feelings, ideas, perceptions and intuitions. During the past months I have been slowly peeling back layers of traumas and through holding them close, have had dreams and insights to help them gently settle into my being. I have shared these with my wife and together we try to have a flow of personal perceptions arising within a non-critical space we are holding. (External pressures on us are enormous at the moment as we sell our house and land, our city apartment, redistribute our belongings as well as care for my debilitated mothering law; so the pressure to be real is very present.
Individually and biologically we are both sexes in one; we live constant inner contradictions or conversations (a test for the psyche and impulse to polarise). As we watch ourselves, past memories can arise of mother or father figures playing out their specific roles; roles which most often are triggered in us, and which can move us into polarisation and subsequent blindness or resistance to our complements and a middle path. Layer upon layer like an onion; generation upon generation of action and reaction (Karma) can appear which in the honest space of 'not knowing ' can relax criticism, open the heart and deepen the breath as we learn to hold them without right or wrong.
I too feel that we are being asked individually and collectively to witness, embrace and release past structures within our deep, collective past (Pluto about to leave and re-enter Capricorn, then leave and re-enter...)
Talking with others, through open mind and heart (as much as we can), seems to be the best way of inviting others to participate personally and in groups. Most times a type of feed-back loop establishes itself which can lead to shared intuition.
A group I lead some time ago, we were lying on the ground with everyone looking at the roof (or clouds) while we talked about the environment of our childhood. In this way our stories could be told and held without initial eye contact, which for some, can be threatening. We then moved to shared, simple day to day tasks which can hold space for our innate resonance to do some fine tuning of personal traumas once an empathic field is established.
Once whole, together, our creative power through intuition, feeling and action is much greater.
Thanks again for your writing David (and Kate too) Together we can.
The exercise of looking up reminds me of ora et labora - faith that being side by side in practice will allow our souls the same freedoms. You might spend half the time looking up and the other half looking down!